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We'll find out this weekend whether the Rochester Americans are headed in the right direction.

They play the Grand Rapids Griffins Friday and Saturday nights in Michigan. The Griffins, defending Calder Cup champions, are 15-4-1-1 and they thumped the Amerks 8-1 on opening night in downtown Rochester.

The Amerks at least headed to Grand Rapids tonight feeling good about themselves. They blew out the Utica Comets 6-1 and, for the first time in a long time, played a swarming, overwhelming third period.

Maybe it's because their opponent wasn't very good tonight (especially starting goalie Joe Cannata), or maybe it's because scoring three goals in the first 141 seconds of the third period left the Comets rather disinterested in the final 17 minutes.

But nonetheless, a rare non-nailbiter had them laughing and joking afterward. Plus, they have won three of the past four.

"We can be a great team," forward Kevin Sundher said.

Coach Chadd Cassidy was most pleased by their play in the third period. The Amerks gave Utica little or nothing in terms of offensive zone time or puck possession.

"That was some of the best hockey we've played," he said. "We kept moving pucks and getting pucks behind their D. That's how we want to play. We want to be a forechecking team and play downhill."

The third period was also played at a lightning pace. It seemed like running time because, well, it was. They went more than 13 minutes without a whistle. At one point, there was about 14:20 remaining. And then, 14:10 later on the clock of life, there was 1:10 left in the game.

Other than on the soccer pitch, that just doesn't happen. My question: Do the sponsors that paid for the two skipped promotional timeouts get a refund?

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Defenseman Brayden McNabb played very well in his one-game reassignment. He was my first star, and also the consensus first start on the official game sheet.

He scored the first goal, assisted on two others and played with great confidence and poise.

The Sabres sent him to the Amerks just for the night. He hadn't played since Nov. 27, and this was a way to get him playing time -- and lots of it -- without really disrupting anything.

He came to the Amerks in the morning, played, and drove right back to Buffalo afterward.

"They just wanted me to play," he said.

He was fine with the idea, too. It's difficult to step into the NHL lineup when you're rusty or when you're not sure if the coaching staff has confidence in you.

He at least reaffirmed his own confidence tonight.

Kevin Porter scored two goals as the Amerks defeated Utica, 6-1.

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Scrappy rookie winger Johnny McGuire probably needed a sedative and not caffeine before the game; he came out just a bit too high strung.

Not that it was a surprise. McGuire hadn't played since Oct. 18, when he suffered an upper body injury in a first-period fight. He missed 14 games due to the injury, then sat out the past three as a healthy scratch.

He was barely on the ice and he took an unsportsmanlike conduct minor (at 4:50), and then took a charging penalty at 14:58. The Amerks did kill both Utica power plays.

"He was excited and he wanted to make an impression," Cassidy said. "As he settled down, he played better."

McGuire also had a second-period fight with Brett Lyon, connecting with a solid punch to end it.

"He probably wasn't too happy with the penalties I took and he asked me (to fight)," he said. "It's been a while so it was good to drop the mitts."

It was also good to feel part of the team again. "It's good to be in the room with the guys, having fun."

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Second-year forward Freddy Roy provides a whole lot of intangibles on the ice with his spirited, anything-for-the-team style of play.

He didn't have any points tonight but did have another fight. Of course, his opponent was 5 inches taller and 50 pounds heavier. That's right, 50 pounds. He's 5-10, 168; Yann Sauve is 6-3, 218.

It was a draw.

After the game, in the dressing room, Roy jumped into the media scrum around Kevin Sundher and pretended to be a reporter. His microphone: a Gatorade bottle.

The reaction of Sundher is comical as he realizes Roy has invaded and that he doesn't have a microphone. It gets even better when Roy begins to ask questions in French, a language which Sundher does not speak.

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Winger Johan Larsson did not play due to an upper-body injury. Cassidy said he he could return to the lineup in Grand Rapids.

Defenseman Jerome Gauthier-Leduc was a healthy scratch. He had played the first 21 games. Cassidy didn't elaborate as to why, but it was a very clear message to JGL: He needs to be better than he has been in recent games.